The electronic world has undoubtedly revolutionized our conceptions and abilities to communicate, educate, and entertain. Starting with the development of transducers and displays, past the subject disclosure of the microprocessor, and arriving at today's microcomputer-driven and network-capable electronics, one may conclude that we are truly immersed in the next generation of electronic interactivity. However, one particular aspect of today's electronics industry still remains stagnant—the remote control. No matter how technologically advanced the display and processing technology might be in the latest flat-screen television, the remote control still remains an archaic control mechanism. The same options, layouts, and standards have existed for decades, and carry with them the same host of yet-unresolved problems. Take for instance the ubiquitous infra-red (IR) remote control. It requires a line of sight to operate, which means that a user must point the remote control at the electronic device for it to work. Even then, sometimes buttons have to be pushed several times to achieve the desired effect. Moreover, each original equipment manufacturer (OEM) has their own remote control layout for their specific device. Considering how many electronic devices the typical living room contains, the several remote controllers for each electronic device each has its own layout, takes up space, and needs batteries. It would be nice to control more devices (such as home appliances) with remote controls, but who wants more remote control devices lying around?
Several subject disclosures in the field attempt to overcome these issues. The most common of these is the universal remote control. However, this approach has its own set of problems. Namely, the traditional programming of the remote control for new devices is a tedious process. Further, batch processing of commands to electronic devices is not properly handled by traditional universal remotes. An IR universal remote that attempts to control a plurality of devices at a time often gets the sequence of signals mixed up, leading to unpredictable or undesired results. BLUETOOTH radio may be used as an alternative to IR. However, BLUETOOTH is costly, and present-day BLUETOOTH devices are expensive, and do not adequately address the concerns involved with controlling multiple electronic devices. They also suffer the same complexities when it comes to programming the remote control for a new electronic device. Finally, certain companies have incorporated remote control software into existing devices such as smartphones and PDAs. However, such network-based remote controls might not work with devices outside a certain proximity. Generally, all present-day technologies have the problem of programming the remote control for new devices, as the operator of the remote control has to do all the work. Consequently, the problem of the learning curve for new devices is never truly resolved, whether it comes to using new remote control devices or programming existing ones for new devices. Moreover, present day technology does not alleviate issues such as finding lost remotes, using the wrong remote for the wrong device, controlling non-traditional devices (such as home appliances, HVAC systems, etc.), and offering permissions of control to different users.
What is therefore needed is a means to control one or more electronic devices using a single remote that does not have to be manually programmed.
The present subject disclosure solves the above problems by controlling electronic devices using a mobile remote control device. A mobile remote control device (or simply “mobile device”) is equipped with a display that provides an interface to control a plurality of electronic devices. The mobile device receives a presentation of controls that include commands to control one or more of the plurality of electronic devices. The mobile device has a unique identifier, and the electronic device transmits the presentation to the mobile device upon verifying that the unique identifier has permission to control the electronic device. The mobile device displays the controls on its display, and establishes a communications path with the electronic device. A user of the mobile device controls the electronic device by operating the “virtual” remote control displayed on the mobile device, for instance, by touching a touchscreen display that is displaying the virtual remote control. The user may further define his or her custom remote control, and command the mobile device to map the received presentation of controls to the custom remote control provided by an application or software within a memory of the mobile device. The remote control application may display a plurality of electronic devices on its user interface, and the user may select which device or combination of devices to operate via the remote control. The user may define batches of commands, or “macros” that transmit a specific series of commands to one or more electronic devices. Various communications paths may be set up depending on the type of network being used and the capabilities of the electronic devices. Proximity and motion of a mobile device may be used as an input, such that the electronic devices are programmed to react in specific ways depending upon the position and movement of the user of the mobile device.
In one exemplary embodiment, the present subject disclosure is a mobile remote control device, including a memory, a processor in communication with the memory, a transceiver in communication with the processor, a display in communication with the processor, an input device in communication with the processor, and logic on the memory for transmitting a unique identifier, receiving a presentation of a remote control from an electronic device across a network, the presentation including an identity of the electronic device, and displaying the remote control on the display. The mobile logic is further for receiving an input from a user via the input device, mapping the input to a command on the remote control, and transmitting the command to the electronic device. The mobile remote control device further includes customization logic on the memory for enabling a user to define a custom remote control and mapping the received presentation of the remote control to the user-defined custom remote control.
In another exemplary embodiment, the present subject disclosure is a system for remotely controlling an electronic device. The system includes a mobile device having a mobile processor, a mobile memory, a mobile transceiver, a display, and an input device, wherein the transceiver enables communication across a network, an electronic device having a device transceiver to enable communication across the network, device logic on the electronic device for broadcasting an identity of the electronic device, receiving a unique identifier of the mobile device, and transmitting a presentation of a remote control of the electronic device to the mobile device via a communication path on the network, and mobile logic on the mobile device for transmitting the unique identifier, receiving the presentation of the remote control, and displaying the remote control on the display of the mobile device.
In yet another exemplary embodiment, the present subject disclosure includes a system for remotely controlling an electronic device. This system includes a mobile device having a mobile processor, a mobile memory, a mobile transceiver, a display, and an input device, wherein the transceiver enables communication across a network, an electronic device having a device transceiver to enable communication across the network, device logic on the electronic device to broadcast an identity of the electronic device and to receive a unique identifier of the mobile device, and mobile logic on the mobile device for transmitting the unique identifier, receiving a presentation of a remote control for the electronic device, and displaying the remote control on the display of the mobile device, wherein the presentation of the remote control for the electronic device is transmitted by a provisioning device.